Page 5

5

ELLIE

There is no way I’m sleeping with Sean in front of that old fucking pervert and my best friend.

I’d rather everyone call the entire marriage a sham. I’ll take whatever punishment it gets me instead.

“Not a fucking chance,” Sean says, his voice a growl as he steps between me and the man staring at me again. “You get that thought out of your head right now, Marco, or I will cut it out.”

Marco laughs. “Ask your father.”

Malcolm shrugs. “Two witnesses. One for our family and one for theirs.”

I stand up, stepping around Sean. “Why do we need witnesses? Why do we have to sleep together in the first place? You got the wedding you wanted for the alliance.”

It’s Marco who steps closer to me, the stench of body odor and stale beer wafting beneath my nose and bringing bile up my throat.

He grins, showing off the gap where one of his front teeth should be. “A marriage isn’t official until you consummate.”

Sean shakes his head, moving between me and Marco, a hand stretching behind him as if to push me back a step. “You’re going to leave her alone right now. I don’t give a damn if you used to be Dad’s right hand or not. You won’t intimidate my wife or get that close to her again.”

Something in me bristles when he calls me his wife.

I don’t know where this need to protect me is coming from, but the moment we’re alone, he’s going to know that I don’t need him to protect me.

I can fight for myself.

As I move to stand beside Aiden, Marco smirks, taking a step forward and invading Sean’s space.

“You’re either going to finish getting married, or Malcolm has agreed that the wedding is null and void, rendering the alliance over.”

Sean rolls his eyes. “Stupid old man. The last thing I want to do is sleep with her. This is nothing but an arrangement between our families. You just want to be a sick bastard and watch.”

His comment stings a little.

Sean has slept with countless women. I’ve heard him and Aiden talking about their escapades time and time again.

Yet I’m the one woman he doesn’t seem to want.

That should be a good thing. I don’t want him either.

Marco laughs, one shoulder drooping. “And is there a problem with that?”

Sean lunges, grabbing Marco’s throat and forcing him back against a wall. “You’re a sick fuck and if you so much as think about putting a hand on her, I’ll cut off your cock and stuff it down your throat.”

Malcolm clamps a hand on Sean’s shoulder, pulling him back a step. “There is a cottage at the back of the property with a bed. You and Ellie will go there. I will send Marco and Aiden will send a witness of his choosing.”

Aiden glances at me, swallowing hard. There’s a green tint to his skin as he glances toward the gate where Kara is standing, watching the event unfold. “Kara.”

My eyes nearly bulge from my head, mouth dropping open. “Aiden, how the hell can you agree to this?”

He tucks his hands in his pockets. “I’ve told you before, Ellie. We do what we must to protect our family.”

Malcolm shoves Sean toward the path that leads to the cottage, a small wooden sign pointing the way down the cobblestones. “Get going. The sooner you get started, the sooner it’s over with.”

Sean stands stiff, his dark eyes searching for mine. “Ellie, walk in front of me.”

Not wanting to be near Marco, especially with the way he’s leering at me, I hurry in front of Sean.

“Please tell me we don’t have to do this,” I say, my voice barely more than a whisper as I hurry past him. “I don’t want any of your diseases.”

A spark of amusement shines in his eyes, but his mouth is set in a grim line. “There’s no way out of this. If there was, we wouldn’t be walking to the cottage now. Just keep quiet until we get there, alright? I have a plan and it’s not going to work if you keep talking.”

I glare at him but clench my jaw shut, hands in fists at my sides.

Humiliation floods through me as Kara and Marco follow us.

At least if someone from my family has to witness this, it’s Kara. She’s been by my side for as long as I can remember.

I don’t think there’s anything I haven’t done while she’s been in earshot, but it still doesn’t make this situation any easier.

We approach the cottage and it looks much like the church, made of the same gray brick with stained glass windows.

Sean takes my hand and helps me climb the stairs, following behind me and entering the little cottage.

The moment we’re inside, he nudges me toward the bathroom. “In there for a moment so we can talk.”

Marco shakes his head. “No. The two of you are going to figure out a way to get out of this. The marriage has to be consummated on the bed.”

I glance at the bed in the corner, swallowing hard.

The last thing I want to do is have sex with Sean.

Sleeping with him in front of a creepy old man and my best friend is strange enough. It sends a shiver down my spine, making my stomach clench as Sean ushers me into the washroom.

“I want a minute alone with my wife.” Sean’s tone is firm, leaving no room for argument as he follows me into the bathroom and slams the door shut behind us.

I slip the comb the veil is attached to out of my hair and set it on the counter. “How do you feel about breaking stained glass and shimmying out of the window before that man has the chance to jerk off to us?”

Sean laughs and it stops me in my tracks.

I think it’s the first time anything I’ve said has ever made him laugh, and to my surprise, I laugh a little too. It’s hard not to when his laugh is warm and rich, making a slight fluttering sensation work its way through my body.

No, Ellie. You hate the attractive man. You don’t want to have sex with him.

Down, girl. Down.

I lean over the counter and splash a bit of cold water on my face, grateful for the waterproof makeup Skyla insisted on putting on me.

He perches on the edge of the counter. “There’s no way out of this, Ellie. You know that as well as I do.”

“How does your dad allow that shit from Marco?”

“Used to be pretty standard, from what little I know of the Andinos before I was born. Arranged marriages were typical. Watching the consummation was always part of it.”

A shiver crawls down my spine. “That’s the last thing I want to go out there and do.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t have diseases. I do get tested.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, holding back a slight smile. “Oh, so that bothers you, does it?”

“Not even a little.” Sean slides off the counter. “Nothing you say or do bothers me, Hells Ells, now, let’s go out there and put on a show. I’ll do everything I can to keep you comfortable and keep Marco from seeing too much.”

“How do I know if I can trust you?” I cross my arms over my chest, heart thundering against my ribs. “And Hells Ells better not be a new nickname. It’s horrible.”

The corner of his mouth quirks up. “It’s going to stick around. As for the trusting me, that’s on you. I don’t want to do this any more than you do, but it’s the only way we’re getting out of the cottage without a body count.”

“Killing Marco could be fun.”

“I have no doubt it would be, but Dad would see it as an attack on the family and everyone here would die.”

I swallow hard, knowing he’s right. “Okay. Let’s get this over with.”

He nods and opens the door, shedding his suit as he makes his way to the bed. By the time he’s standing beside it, he’s wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs, the hard outline of his cock pressing against the center.

A pit opens in the bottom of my stomach as I cross the room to him.

He steps between me and our spectators, his lips finding the base of my neck as his fingers work their way down the tiny buttons on the back of my dress.

The heavy material falls away from my body, leaving me in nothing but the white lace underwear set I wore beneath the gown.

Sean’s breath hitches before he sucks on my pulse, sending heat between my thighs.

This is wrong.

I shouldn’t want him, but there’s a part of me that does.

As his hands glide up my body from my hips to my breasts, a trail of fire scorches along with him. Wetness pools between my thighs, my pussy slick as he pulls my nipples between his fingers.

My back presses harder into his chest as I arch, my hands coming up to run through his hair, pulling his head closer.

He groans, teeth grazing my skin. “Relax.”

“It’s a little hard to do that right now.”

His soft chuckle sends a wave of lust through my body. My cheeks warm as I look down at the ground.

I shouldn’t be enjoying this. I shouldn’t crave the touch of his fingers against my clit or picture the way his cock will feel when it slides into me for the first time, stretching me until I feel like I can’t take any more.

But I do.

His fingers slide down my body, hooking into the sides of my thong and pulling the thin material down my legs.

Sean kneels behind me, supporting me as I lift one leg and then the othering, teetering in my heels slightly.

Teeth graze against the sensitive skin just below my ass before he nips and kisses his way back up my spine.

The bra falls away from me with the quick flick of his fingers.

I turn around, wanting to cover myself up. I shouldn’t be here with him.

“Eyes on me,” he says, his voice raspy.

I can’t help it.

Glancing over his shoulder, I find Marco staring straight at us, but Kara has a knife hovering over Marco’s lap, her intent clear if he so much as makes one wrong move.

I don’t think I’ve ever loved that woman more in my life.

Sean’s fingers grip my chin as he turns my face back to him. “I said eyes on me, Ellie, or do you just not listen?”

“I think you know the answer to that.”

He smirks and leans in, capturing my bottom lip between his teeth. I moan as he sucks on it, his hand dipping between my legs.

As his fingers brush against my pussy, I moan, hands flying to his shoulders.

His thumb presses against my clit as his fingers slide into me. “Fuck, Ellie, you’re soaked.”

“Shut up and fuck me.”

Smirking, Sean drives his fingers harder and faster into me, his thumb rubbing a quicker circle around my clit with every thrust.

My hips rock into his touch as I try to take everything he’s willing to offer me.

I want more. I need his mouth all over my body. I want to feel his cock buried deep in me when I come.

Wetness coats his hand as he slams his fingers deeper. “Come for me, Ellie. You know you want to. Come all over my hand like the good girl we both know you’re dying to be.”

His words are nothing more than a whisper that only the two of us can hear, but they’re more than enough to send my entire body shaking as my orgasm tears through me.

I keep riding his hand, inner walls pulsing around him. He groans, burying his face in my neck as he draws the orgasm out for as long as possible.

When my legs finally stop shaking, he guides me down on the bed before climbing on top of me. Sean slides his underwear down, his thick cock springing free.

A bead of moisture is on the tip, and if we were alone right now, I would lean forward and capture it, savoring the taste of him on my tongue.

But we’re not alone.

I stiffen with the thought of the other people in the room, but his head drops to my neck. He trails hot, wet kisses along my pulse until the only thing I can think about is him.

His cock slides through my slick folds, the tip sinking into me before pulling back out.

The muscles in his arms and torso flex as he hovers over me, those dark eyes searching mine.

I nod, hands roaming his broad shoulders before I rake my nails down his back.

He shudders, sinking his cock into me a little at a time.

My pussy clenches around him, stretching against his size as I hook one leg over his hip.

With a groan, Sean rolls his hips, sinking the rest of the way into me. “You feel amazing wrapped around my cock.”

Lust shoots through me as I rock my hips, needing more of him.

He grabs a pillow from the top of the bed, stuffing it beneath my hips. One hand presses against my lower stomach as he slides out of me before sinking back in.

I think I’m going to come then and there.

His cock throbs as he rolls his hips. His soft groan has me arching off the bed, desperate for more.

“Good girl.” He leans forward and takes my earlobe between his teeth, pulling on it as he slams his cock deeper into me.

Moaning, I rock with him, meeting every thrust. My fingers dig into the muscles of his back, nipples stiff as he thrusts harder and faster.

Sean’s soft moan sends another wave of desire through my body, his cock stiffening as he dips his head and pulls one of my stiff nipples into his mouth.

When he bites down, I come, my arousal coating his cock as he pumps faster.

He switches to the other nipple, biting and flicking his tongue as he comes, drawing out our pleasure until I can’t think straight.

His sweaty body slumps against mine while he blindly reaches for something.

A few seconds later, a blanket covers me.

I grasp the blanket tight as my chest heaves. My body feels cold as he peels himself away, glancing at me with eyes so cold they could freeze the sun.

Sean stands up, not sparing me a glance as he reaches for his clothing and pulls it on. He doesn’t look at me once as he turns to Kara and Marco, staring at them wordlessly until they stand and leave the cottage.

A hollow feeling takes up residence in my chest as he crosses to the small chairs on the other side of the room and sits down.

“You’d better get dressed quickly before someone else comes out here to see if we’re still fucking.” Sean grabs my bra and thong, tossing them to me.

I cast the blanket to the side, even though humiliation is burning through me again.

It was stupid to think that this meant anything to either of us. I know it didn’t.

Though I allowed myself to get lost in the feeling of him pressed against my body, it’s not going to happen again.

No matter how divine his cock feels as it throbs while I come.

Sean is still the same cold and calculating man he’s always been, and I’m still the woman who only exists on the fringes of this life, holding my hatred like a lit torch high above my head.

At the end of the day, Sean is still the man who killed my father. He tore my family apart sixteen years ago, and then he spent those years tearing at me.

It might have made me stronger in the end, but he will never deserve an ounce of the woman I am now.

This is the first and last time that we’ll ever be together.

From this day on, I just have to suffer through this marriage until he relaxes and starts to trust me.

The moment he does, I’m gone, even if it means turning my back on everyone I love.